The client

Wasp Hockey

The challenge

Wasp Hockey is an established manufacturer of hockey sticks. As one of the smaller hockey brands, the quality and performance of their product – along with their close connection to the sport – is a key way of differentiating them from their bigger competitors.

They wanted to prove that their sticks perform better than their competitors’ through experimental testing. They approached the University’s Centre for Sports Engineering Research due to our expertise and facilities for measuring and analysing the performance characteristics of sports equipment.

How we worked together

We used a number of techniques to develop a full picture of hockey stick performance. This included accurately measuring the mass, balance-point position, and moment of inertia of each stick. We then developed a bespoke method of testing specifically for Wasp Hockey. The results were analysed to determine the relationships between construction materials and impact performance.

The result

The project provided an accurate picture of the key performance characteristics of Wasp Hockey’s composite hockey sticks. In particular, this resulted in a better understanding of the relationship between construction materials and impact performance. The company will use this data to inform and enhance their product design process in the future. We also developed simple and robust methods to enable Wasp Hockey to independently measure the characteristics of their sticks, allowing them to provide more information to customers via their website.

We say

Dr Tom Allen, Innovation Futures researcher in sports engineering said, 'WASP Hockey are a small brand, whose products are underpinned by their extensive knowledge and insights from playing and coaching hockey at the highest level on the world stage. Our state of- the-art tests will enhance their scientific knowledge and enable them to make better decisions during the product design and development process.’

They say

Wasp Hockey managing director Norman Hughes said, ‘The great thing about working with the team at Sheffield Hallam is that they produce practical, useable results and get very close to the product being tested. Their research leaves our company with simple methods of testing and measuring the performance of future products that we design and manufacture.’